Pick of the Week

A new weekly spot where we pick an example of excellence from the worlds of animations, showreels and stills. This week Technical Editor Rob Redman brings you an oldie but a goodie.

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I spend a certain amount of time visiting industry forums, following artists on Twitter and talking to animator/modeller/VFX friends. This keeps me abreast of current and upcoming projects, as well as learning about artists I’d not heard of before, or the rising stars in our industry.

This means I get to see a lot of showreels/animations/stills. Some I hunt for, if I am looking for an artist to contribute to the mag, but more often than not I am sent links or stumble upon them during the course of the day.

There are many great videos out there and I find myself impressed on a regular basis. I’ve been in the industry for over a decade and I still love finds like these ones. It’s a couple of years old but don’t let that put you off. I think it can be well worth looking back at older pieces and this one holds up well in this fast-changing industry.

Advertising animation and VFX can often look a bit cheaper than what is found in films but I think this is down to us expecting something different. Ads have to appeal to a specific demographic and have such a limited time to get their message across that they can seem overly bold, bright and saturated.

If you look at these examples this holds true. However, looking at them as a group here, rather than crammed amongst other ads, in the middle of a show you actually want to watch, you can better appreciate the skill involved.

The set creation is lovely, with a whimsical feel that matches the tone of the ad perfectly. It’s not supposed to be taken too seriously but the quality of the modelling, animation and lighting is still very high. At least it passes you by without you thinking it. If there had been flaws in the animation it would have jarred and you would have noticed it. The human eye/brain combo is incredibly sensitive to inaccuracies which makes good animation pass us by unless we really think about it.

Watch the making of de la nouvelle champagne

I’m not going to go into what I think makes a good show/demo reel/animation as there are plenty of resources out there but do expect me to post other examples of what I believe are the best reels online. I’ll post reels from both studios and individuals and if you see one that you think should be included then email me and let me know.

‘Til next time…

Rob

About the author

Long-time 3D artist Rob Redman has been working in the field of VFX and motion graphics for over a decade. He is Technical Editor on 3D World magazine.